National Museum of the Pacific War - 118 Matching Results

Search Results

Results: 1 - 50 next
["Farewell Social" Program]
Program for the "Farewell Social 'Till We Meet Again'" honoring Boyle Heights' inductees, sponsored by the "Boyle Heights Indians" and held at the Block 45 Mess Hall in Poston Relocation Camp. The 'Boyle Heights Indians' were a self-created and named social group from Poston's Block 45.
Oral History Interview with Iris Zwanenberg, March 23, 1974
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Iris Zwanenberg. Zwanenberg was born to German parents in the Netherlands East-Indies. She was a young girl when the Japanese invaded. Her family was separated and sent to live in camps while their home was occupied by Japanese troops. While they once lived comfortably, they were suddenly faced with extreme food scarcity, living on rice alone. After the war, she immigrated to Europe, where living conditions were better but still harsh. Ultimately, she settled in Quebec and lived a full life, but the experience scarred her family permanently.
Oral History Interview with Lee Weber, September 23, 1999
The National Museum of the pacific War presents an interview with Lee Weber. Weber joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1939. He was in San Diego when the war started and soon sailed for Samoa where he served as an armorer. He attended OCs at Samoa and was commissioned in August before going to Guadalcanal in October, 1942. Weber shares several details about ground fighting at Guadalcanal. When he left Guadalcanal, he went to New Zealand for rest and preparation for the invasion of Tarawa. Weber worked closely with Major Henry (Jim) Crowe. He also describes landing at Tarawa and fighting during the battle. Weber was wounded by a grenade and evacuated to a ship offshore. Upon recovering, he went to Quantico and served as an ordnance officer. When the war ended, Weber stayed in the reserves, retiring in 1979.
Oral History Interview with James Arquette, June 23, 2000
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Arquette. Arquette joined the Navy in February of 1942. He completed flight training, and was assigned to a fighter squadron. Beginning November of 1942, he served as a pilot aboard USS Lexington (CV-16). He participated in raids on Wake Island and the Gilbert Islands. He later transferred to USS Randolph (CV-15), participating in the Okinawa invasion. He returned to the US and was discharged in October of 1945. Arquette continued his service and retired in 1963.
Oral History Interview with Garvin Kowalke, January 23, 2001
Transcript of an oral interview with Garvin Kowalke. He discusses joining the Army Air Corps, going to Air Cadet training to become a pilot, training on various aircraft (AT-17, UC-78, P-36, P-33, T-6, BT-13, B-17, B-29) before becoming a B-29 pilot. He shipped out to Guam and flew standard and fire bombing runs over Japan. He discusses having to ditch the plane on the way back to Guam once when the engines failed, seeing another B-29 crew have to bail out over Toyko Bay and get picked up by a US submarine that was in the Bay, getting pulled down to the fires when they were trying to hide in the smoke to avoid Japanese fighter planes, getting caught in a storm by Mount Fujiyama, collecting data such wind direction, speed and temperature over Hiroshima for future bombing runs, which turned out to be for the bombers who dropped the atomic bomb, then flying over the city two days after the bombing and gauging how high the radiation levels were at different altitudes. He also talks about being in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, becoming a B-57 pilot, and adopting a baby boy from Germany after the war, then a little girl while he was stationed in Hawaii after the Korean War.
Oral History Interview with Lyman Mereness, February 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lyman Mereness. Mereness joined the Navy in May of 1942. He received his wings in March of 1943. He served with the 8th Bomb Squadron. Beginning August of 1943, they served as the air group aboard the USS Intrepid (CV-11). Mereness supported the invasion of Hollandia and the Philippines Campaign, completing 39 combat missions. He was discharged in September of 1945.
Oral History Interview with James A. Laux, March 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James A. Laux. Born in 1925, he was drafted into the Navy in 1943. He was accepted into the submarine service. He describes his training at sub school. He reached New Guinea in 1944 and was assigned to his first submarine, the USS Pintado (SS-387), in 1945. He served as a 3rd Class Motor Machinist Mate. He describes sinking two floating mines while off the coast of Java as well as a near-miss with depth charges dropped by Japanese planes. They also rescued downed American pilots while on patrol off the coast of Japan. He describes the living conditions on the submarine. He shares an anecdote about celebrating the end of the war on the way back to the U.S. with a concoction of alcohol called depth charge rum. He was discharged in May 1946. He shares an anecdote about hitchhiking home to Ohio from California. The conning tower of the Pintado is on display at the National Museum of the Pacific War.
Oral History Interview with Joseph B. Brown, March 23, 2001
Interview with Joseph B. Brown of Abilene, Texas, who is a World War Two veteran of the United States Marine Corps. In the interview, Mr. Brown recalls memories of growing up and his time in the Marines, particularly from training, being wounded, and working campaigns in the South Pacific.
Oral History Interview with Lester Wilson, May 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lester Wilson. Wilson was born on 11 April 1916 in Helix, Oregon. Upon graduating from high school in 1933, he enrolled at Indiana University and later transferred to the University of Arizona. In 1942 he enlisted in the US Navy. After six weeks of boot training he was sent to Range Finders School. Completing school, he traveled by troop train to Pier 92 in New York City. He then reported aboard the newly commissioned USS Earle (DD-635) at Charlestown Navy Yard, New York. He tells of experiences while escorting troop ships to North Africa and during the invasion of Sicily. He also recalls being part of a divisionary force during the Normandy invasion. Returning to the United States in 1945, the ship was converted to a Destroyer Mine Sweeper (DSM-42). The ship was on a shakedown cruise when Japan surrendered. Wilson was discharged soon thereafter.
Oral History Interview with Edward Nielsen, August 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Nielsen. Nielsen joined the Army in January, 1941 and trained at Fort Knox. He was a good driver and was used to instruct other recruits in how to drive tanks. He discusses his experiences during the Louisiana Maneuvers prior to the war. When the war started, he headed for England with the 1st Armored Division be fore shipping to North Africa. Nielsen describes fighting in tanks in North Africa. Nielsen was captured by the Germans in February 1943. He was eventually evacuated through Tunis to a POW camp near Munich. He escaped with a friend only to be captured again after a few days. When the war ended, he had been liberated and was in American hands, waiting to go back to the US. When he returned, he was discharged in the fall of 1945.
Oral History Interview with Edward Nielsen, August 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edward Nielsen from Medaryville, Indiana. He discusses undergoing Amry training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, before being assigned as B Company of the 69th Army Regiment at Fort Knox as a private. Afterwards he got lucky and was assigned to drive a truck from Louisiana to North Carolina, Mr. Nielsen describes this as the best job he ever had in the Army. After Pearl Harbor he is transferred to the 1st Armored Division and Regiment, 2nd Battalion. He was then transported from fort Knox to Ireland then to England for a short time before being shipped out to Oran in North Africa. On the way to Oran, the ship he was on was almost hit by a missile shot by a German U-boat, but it instead hit another ship that was nearby. By the time Mr. Nielsen reached Oran he was a segreant Tank Commander. He also relays a time he warned his Company Commander about German Tiger Tanks being in their area and being ignored only for them to show up a few days later resulting in one captain deserting and being captured by German soldiers. Mr. Nielsen also discusses getting captured by the Germans on February 14th of 1943 and being brought to Tunis for a few weeks before being flown to Naples, Italy, and eventually ending up in a camp near Munich. Mr. Nielsen had made escape plans but was ultimately in the camp until it was liberated by the Russians. After being liberated he was flown to France before being brought back to Boston in the U.S.. He then got a train to Indianapolis before finally going home to Medaryville and was discharged in either September or October of 1945.
Oral History Interview with Dorothy Rufi, September 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dorothy Rufi. Mrs. Rufi’s maiden name is Roehning. She arrived in Washington D.C. to work at the Coast Guard headquarters in 1942. She was assigned to a secretarial pool of four women who worked for Rear Admiral Harvey F. Johnson. She mentions blackouts and an air raid drill. She returned to her home to Minnesota in 1944.
Oral History Interview with Dr. Patrick H. McKay, September 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dr. Patrick H. McKay. Born in San Antonio, Texas in 1924, he discusses the hard times experienced by his family during the Depression. He joined Army ROTC in high school. After graduating, he was inducted into the Army in September 1943. He was sent on the USS West Point (AP-23) to Papua, New Guinea. He describes his experiences and training during the transit. He describes his time at Milne Bay, as a Private assigned to the 158th Regimental Combat Team, known as the" Bushmasters." He describes his unit's attack on a small island off the coast of New Guinea. His regiment's next action was at Noemfoor Island, New Guinea in July and August 1944. He recalls Tokyo Rose saying before the landing that "the blood-thirsty Bushmasters are going to meet a wall of steel.” He recalls several banzai attacks during the battle. His unit next made an assault on Lingayen Gulf in Luzon, Philippines. Their objective was the headquarters for the 17th Japanese Army unit under the command of General Tomoyuki Yamashita in Baguio. Next, his unit was sent to fight its way through the outskirts of Manila. Afterwards, he was assigned to take a group of prisoners to Bibido prison in Manila. He recalls seeing General Yamashita taking his exercise at the prison. Approximately six weeks after the Japanese surrender on the 14th of August, he was assigned occupation duties 70 miles north of Tokyo. In January 1946 McKay returned to the States, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and attended medical school.
Oral History Interview with Ken Cook, September 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ken Cook. Born in Dallas, Texas on January 19, 1927, he joined the Navy in October 1943 and attended boot camp in San Diego. Upon completing boot camp, he was ordered to engineering school in Gulfport, Mississippi and was assigned to the USS Sigourney (DD-643) for the duration of the war. He reported aboard Sigourney in May 1944 as a Fireman Striker, but after serving a stint as Mess Cook, changed his rating to Cook Striker. He recounts being aboard the vessel during July 1945 in San Pedro, California, when the crew was ordered to stand by for inspection due to a reported "theft of articles from a sailor's locker." Liberty was cancelled, the inspection was never conducted, and the ship got underway after embarking a mysterious individual dressed in a Chief's uniform. He recalls that the "Chief" soon changed into civilian clothes and, to his knowledge, spoke to almost no one during the ensuing days as the vessel sailed north to the Alaskan coast and a rendezvous with the USS Washington (BB-56). The Sigourney pulled alongside the Washington, which had the ship's band turned out and playing, and the mysterious passenger was highlined over to the battleship. Cook was never able to ascertain the person's identity and was discharged from the Navy in July 1946.
Oral History Interview with Mike Rubin, September 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Mike Rubin. Rubin discussed his father, M. J. Rubin. M. J. Rubin was born in Amarillo, Texas in the 1920s. He joined the Navy as a Corpsman shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Upon finishing boot camp in San Diego, California he was transferred to the Second Marine Division and sent to New Zealand. His first action was at Tarawa. He was then sent to Pearl Harbor where the Second Marine Division was reconstituted. Following the reconstitution he was sent to Saipan where he was wounded by mortar fire and suffered battle fatigue and returned to the States. He received three Silver Stars during his four years overseas.
Oral History Interview with Norman Apelt, September 23, 2001
Transcript of an oral interview with Norman Apelt. He discusses his service in the US Army Air Corps as an airplane mechanic in Pampa, Texas. After the war ended, Apelt was assigned duty in occupied Japan.
Oral History Interview with Robert Allender, September 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Allender. Allender was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa 21 November 1925 and enlisted in the Navy after graduating from high school in 1943. He qualified for sonar school while in boot camp and went to San Diego. Upon graduating from the school, he was sent to duty aboard the USS YMS-387, an auxiliary motor minesweeper. He describes his time on the YMS, engaged in coastal minesweeping and training prospective minesweeper crews. He left the minesweeper in December 1944 and was assigned to the commissioning crew of a coastal patrol craft in Portland, Oregon in the spring of 1945. He describes convoy duty between Pearl Harbor and the South Pacific, and operations near Eniwetok, Saipan, Guam and Ulithi. He recalls that following the Japanese surrender, his patrol craft was sent to Yap to accept the surrender of the Japanese garrison. The ship left Ulithi in November 1945 and returned to Charleston, South Carolina for decommissioning. He was discharged from the Navy in April 1946.
Oral History Interview with Sybil Bale, September 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Sybil Bale. Bale was born in Clovis, New Mexico in 1920. In 1940 she went to Washington, D.C. to work for the Lend Lease Program as a secretary. She tells of seeing the program grow from a staff of four with four secretaries to over 750 employees when she left in 1941. Returning to New Mexico, Sybil was employed by the Selective Service Draft Board as an auditor and tells of the work it entailed. She describes the classification process of civilians including those who worked on the Manhattan Project. She tells of getting married in 1952 to a career Marine and of her life married to a World War II veteran who also served in Korea and Vietnam.
Oral History Interview with Will Scott, September 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Will Scott. Scott joined the Navy in May of 1941. He served as a Gunner’s Mate aboard the USS Utah (BB-31). He shares his experiences living at sea, his work and general life aboard the Utah. Scott also provides details of the attack while berthed in Pearl Harbor. After the Utah was sunk, Scott was assigned to the USS Honolulu (CL-48) for ten months, and then transferred to the USS Denver (CL-58) for two and half years. From there he served aboard the USS Harold J. Ellison (DD-864) until the war ended. During his service he traveled to the Aleutian Islands, Guadalcanal and Leyte Gulf.
Oral History Interview with Alvin Orsland, October 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alvin Orsland. Orsland joined the Marine Corps in June of 1944. He went to Hawaii in November of 1944, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division. In February of 1945 they participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima, which Orsland provides details of his experiences as a rifleman through the battle. He was discharged in July of 1946 as a Corporal.
Oral History Interview with Bert Cooper, November 23, 2001
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bert Cooper. Upon graduation from high school in February 1944 he joined the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman and was assigned to the First Marine Division. In transit to the division, his ship encountered a Japanese submarine off Okinawa, which was driven off or sunk by depth charges. Upon arrival at Okinawa several days after the initial invasion he recalls an incident when hundreds of Marines were attacked by a Japanese kamikaze while disembarking down cargo nets. He recounts being picked up by ten wheeler trucks on the beach driven by African American Army soldiers. During that time he tended to the wounded and recounts several stories involving badly wounded and dying Marines. In two instances, the dying Marine despaired that no one would remember them, and Cooper emphatically stated that "I will remember you my entire life." He next recalls reenlisting to go to Korea where he served on the hospital ship USS Haven (AH-12) during the invasion of Inchon, Korea. Cooper recalls severe casualties from frostbite. By this time the service had been integrated and he recalls the heroism of the African American troops and instances of racism. He recalls being assigned to Naval Hospital Yokosuka, Japan in 1950. He recalls going ashore and how he "fell in love with Japanese gardens" and that he has spent decades growing and tending to a garden.
Oral History Interview with Bernard Link, July 23, 2002
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bernard Link. Link joined the Marine Corps in 1943 after finishing high school. He trained in San Diego and then was shipped to Camp Tarawa on Hawaii. He boarded the USS Lubbock (APA-197) for a ride to Iwo Jima. On the third day of the battle, Link was wounded while attacking an enemy bunker. He was evacuated and placed aboard a hospital ship that soon sailed for Guam. From there, he went to a hospital at Pearl Harbor. Afterwards, he rejoined his outfit at Camp Tarawa. Link had a friend found guilty of desertion. He went with his unit to Kyushu for occupation duty in September, 1945. In May, 1946, Link was discharged.
Oral History Interview with James McKinley, May 23, 2003
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James McKinley. McKinley was in college when the war started and in spite of serious damage to his eyes earlier in life, he was able to serve in the Army as a clerk in the Ordnance branch. He was shipped to New Caledonia and assigned to the 51st Ordnance Ammunition Company, operating an ammo dump outside of Noumea. He arrived there in 1943 and went home after the war and was discharged in early 1946. He used the GI Bill to finish schooling in pharmacy and earned a master's degree before becoming a pharmacist in Houston.
Oral History Interview with Harry Miller, June 23, 2003
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents and oral interview with Harry Miller. Born 11 September 1922 in Winamac, Indiana, Miller graduated from high school in 1940. Called into the Army in 1943, he took basic training at Fort Hamilton, New York. After fifteen weeks of basic he was assigned to the 13th Major Port Battalion. He was stationed at Perth Amboy, New Jersey and worked long hours loading ammunition and other supplies for overseas shipment. He then went aboard a troop ship and landed at Plymouth, England. There, he was involved in unloading military supplies. Sometime after June 1944, he was pulled from the port battalion and assigned as a replacement with the 29th Infantry Division, 115th Infantry Regiment. He recalls of being in combat at Brest, France and the drive to the Elbe River. Miller also recalls his regiment being confronted by 10,000 Germans surrendering to the Americans to avoid capture by the Russian Army. After Germany surrendered, he was sent to Bremen, as a company clerk. In 1946, he returned to the United States and was discharged.
Oral History Interview with John Tuznik, July 23, 2003
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Tuznik. Tuznik was born near Random, Poland on 24 June 1923. He attended school until 1937 at which time he began working on the farm. He tells of German soldiers occupying the country and of the demands they made on the Polish citizens. In 1942 soldiers of the German Army killed his mother, father and a friend and burned the house down because they were suspected of being members of the Polish underground. He was forced as a slave laborer to work in a munitions plant. He worked in Germany and in 1943 he was sent to Finland where he was forced to work fifteen hour days, seven days a week with meager food and clothing. He was then moved to Norway and was there when liberated by the Russian Army in 1945. Following the war, Tuznik got married and immigrated to the United States with his wife.
Oral History Interview with Nancy Tuznik, July 23, 2003
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Nancy Tuznik. Tuznik was born in Aremark, Norway 30 October 1931. She tells of her life before the German occupation in 1940. The German Army occupied Norway and all farmers were required to furnish a certain percentage of what they raised to the Wehrmacht. She recalls that her father was involved with the underground resistance forces but has no knowledge of the extent of his involvement. She does remember various relatives fleeing the country. Soon after the end of the war, she met and married her husband. She immigrated to the United States in 1954 with him.
Oral History Interview with Walden Franzen, October 23, 2003
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walden Franzen. Franzen joined the Navy in 1937. He became a plane captain with VB-3 and served on the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and the USS Ranger (CV-4). Franzen mentions life on board ship and the difference between the two carriers. He went on to serve as a crew chief on a PBY in the Caribbean and later as a maintenance supervisor for a utility squadron that served along the East Coast. Franzen remained in the Navy after the war, and retired in 1957.
Oral History Interview with Wayburn Hall, October 23, 2003
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wayburn Hall. Hall was born 9 May 1925 in Gandy, Louisiana. He describes family life during the depression. Joining the Marine Corps 9 February 1943 under the V-12 program he went to the University of South Louisiana in Lafayette. After one semester, Hall was withdrawn from the program and sent to San Diego for boot training. He recalls his training and experiences during boot camp, which included two weeks of firearm training. Upon graduating, he was selected for 81mm mortar training and went to Camp Elliott for training. He describes in detail the crew compliment of a mortar team and the training they received. During February 1944 the graduates boarded a ship for a fifteen day trip to Noumea, New Caledonia. After taking part in intense advanced training, he was sent to Gavutu and assigned to Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines. In September 1944 the division boarded USS LST-607 for a 1500 mile trip to Peleliu. Hall was in the first wave in the invasion of Peleliu. He was wounded soon after landing and was treated by a Navy corpsman prior to being taken to a hospital ship and eventually to the Admiralty Islands. He returned to Gavutu 14 October 1944. Hall’s division received replacements and began training in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa. Hall describes making the landing and subsequent combat situations. Following the surrender of Japan, the division was sent to Tientsin, China arriving in September 1945. After spending several months in China he boarded the USS Wakefield (AP-21) and returned to Los Angeles receiving his discharge 11 February 1946.
Oral History Interview with William Gill, October 23, 2003
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William A. Gill. Gill was born on 6 April 1921 in Newark, New Jersey and enlisted in the Navy in April 1942. He relates several anecdotes from his time in Great Lakes, Illinois where he attended basic training and quartermaster school. He volunteered for motor torpedo boat training in Melville, Rhode Island. Upon completing his training he was assigned to the commissioning crew of PT-166, which was part of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Ten. He recalls that following training in Panama, the boat was loaded aboard a fleet oiler with other boats in the squadron, and delivered to the Solomon Islands in June 1943. He recalls operating out of Tulagi and a friendly fire incident in which PT-166 was destroyed by a B-25. Gill was then assigned to PT-171 and he recalls his boat’s involvement in supporting the American invasion of New Georgia in July 1943. He recalls searching for survivors the night that PT-109 was cut in half by a Japanese destroyer. In May 1944 he returned to the United States and, after recovering from a bout with malaria, he was sent to a PT boat base in La Maddalena, north of Sardinia. He remained in the Mediterranean until June 1945, when he returned to the US and was discharged from the Navy.
Oral History Interview with Robert Custer, December 23, 2003
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Custer. Custer joined the Army Air Corps in December, 1942. He attended aerial gunnery school before shipping to England.
Oral History Interview with George Cross, January 23, 2004
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Cross. Cross joined the Navy in August of 1944. He was trained as a yeoman. Cross served on a destroyer in the Atlantic. He describes how his ship screened convoys by disrupting an air attack by German planes and depth charging a suspected submarine. Cross also talks about his duties as a phone talker during general quarters and the type of work performed by a yeoman. He was discharged soon after he returned to the US.
Oral History Interview with Albert Day, February 23, 2004
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Day. Day was born in Olney, Texas 23 September 1921 and graduated from high school in Vivian, Louisiana in 1942. Upon joining the Navy 4 June 1942, he was sent to The Great Lakes Naval Training Station for boot training. Afterwards, Day was assigned to the Amphibious Forces at Solomons, Maryland for training where he learned navigation and signal communications. Completing the course in October 1942 he went to Redwood City, California for further training. Assigned to LCT(5)-62, he describes the size, propulsion, crew compliment and purpose of the craft. Day tells of breaking the LCT into sections that were put aboard an AKA and sailing to New Caledonia arriving in December 1942. On a trip to Guadalcanal he witnessed a Japanese plane dropping a bomb on the USS De Haven (DD-469). He recalls a night trip to New Georgia when he saw St. Elmo’s fire on the railing of his ship. At Tulagi on 7 April 1943, Day personally shot down an attacking Japanese plane. He participated in the invasion of Iwo Jima and tells of being on the USS Estes (ACG-12) and describes an intense conversation he heard between Marine General, Holland Smith and an Army general. After the surrender of Japan, Day returned to the United States and was assigned to a destroyer on which he served until his discharge December 1946.
Oral History Interview with Ralph Byler, March 23, 2004
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ralph Byler. Byler joined the Army in early 1941. He served as the Commanding Officer of the 965th Field Artillery Battalion, in the European Theater, during the Invasion of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded. Byler was discharged in March of 1946.
Oral History Interview with Robert Carey, March 23, 2004
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Carey. Carey joined the Marine Corps in an officer candidate class in November of 1942. In July of 1943 he was transferred to the Navy V-12 Program, completing midshipman and landing craft school. He was stationed aboard the USS Venango (AKA-82) beginning June of 1944. In the spring of 1945 they transported cargo for the impending assault on Okinawa, carrying troops, landing craft vehicles and gear of the Army’s 82nd Signal Construction Battalion. Carey was aboard when they participated in the Battle of Okinawa, returning to the US in November of 1945. He was discharged in March of 1946.
Oral History Interview with Robert Hand, May 23, 2004
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Hand. Hand joined the Army in February of 1941. He served with the 208th Military Police Company in Brownwood, Texas. After Pearl Harbor, Hand completed Officer Candidate School, graduating in May of 1942. He was assigned to the 7th Armored Division, 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron. They landed at Omaha Beach in August of 1944. They patrolled between Saint-Lô and Caen, and Hand was wounded on his way up to Germany. Hand returned to the US, and remained hospitalized from August of 1944 through April of 1945. He was then assigned to help set up a Reconnaissance School at Fort Knox. Hand was discharged in December of 1945.
Oral History Interview with Ernest Latta, July 23, 2004
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ernest Latta. Latta worked in the CCC for a year and a half before joining the Army in October, 1940. He trained in Hawaii and was attached to Company I, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was at Schofield Barracks when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After the attack, Latta guarded a beach on the western edge of Oahu for some time. He went to Guadalcanal in December, 1942. Latta earned a Silver Star in combat at Guadalcanal. He also invaded Vella Lavella. After that, he was present during the invasion of Luzon and participated in the battles at Balete Pass. Latta chose to be discharged when an opportunity came his way in July 1945.
Oral History Interview with Bob Goeser, October 23, 2004
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bob Goeser. Goeser joined the Marine Corps in October of 1942, and was assigned to the air arm. He completed Radio Navigation School. He served as an air crewman in the Philippines and China, completed over 50 combat missions and received the Distinguished Flying Cross, and a Silver Star. He was discharged in December of 1945.
Oral History Interview with Dick Merrifield, October 23, 2004
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dick Merrifield. Merrifield was born in Philadelphia in 1925 into a family of three boys and one girl. All three boys served in the military during World War II. Upon graduating from high school in 1942 he joined the Marine Corps and spent thirteen weeks at Paris Island. Upon completion of boot training he was sent to Cherry Point, North Carolina where he was assigned as a gunner/radioman with VMSB-331, flying in Dauntless SBD dive bombers. After completion of dive bomb training the squadron departed by ship to Nukufetau Atoll, arriving in mid-November 1943. From there the squadron flew support missions to various islands. Merrifield flew sixty-three missions. He recalls the feelings and sensations one has when diving at a 90 degree angle. Following the surrender of Japan, Merrifield went to Hawaii where he was assigned to Marine Air Control Squadron 2. The squadron was sent to Tsingtao, China in support of the Nationalist Army of Chiang Kai-shek. Merrifield returned to the United States in March 1946.
Oral History Interview with Owen Putler, October 23, 2004
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Owen Putler. Putler became a Navy Cadet in June of 1942. He completed Civilian Pilot Training, and received his license in February of 1943. He then joined the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and became a second lieutenant. He completed advanced dive bomber training in May of 1943. In March of 1944 he was stationed in the Marshall Islands and served as a VMSB-331 pilot, conducting bombing, search and photo reconnaissance missions. Their job was to keep the shipping lanes open for the Navy and the fleet. Putler completed 136 missions and received 6 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 21 Air Medals.
Oral History Interview with R. Y. Bowers, October 23, 2004
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with R.Y. Bowers. Bowers was born in Lancaster, South Carolina in 1922. Upon joining the Marines in 1931, he was sent to Parris Island, South Carolina for four weeks of boot training. In June 1943, he was assigned to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, VMSB- 331. He briefly tells of his twelve months of training in radio and gunnery. When his training was completed he went by troop train to San Diego. There he was trained in the use of plane mounted radar and later assigned to a pilot with whom he remained throughout the war. In 1943 the squadron went aboard the USS Nassau (CVE-16) for a fourteen day voyage to the island of Pango Pango. From there, the unit moved to various islands including Wallis, Majuro and Nanomea. During this time they met no enemy fighter opposition but their plane received flak damage on several occasions. Bowers and his pilot were then moved to Makin where they remained for three months. They then returned to the United States. Bowers flew 37 combat missions during his time with VMSB-331.
Oral History Interview with Rueben Watlov, October 23, 2004
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Rueben Watlov. Watlov joined the Marine Corps in 1942. He completed radio and gunnery school. In January of 1943 Watlov joined Marine Scout Bomber Squadron 331 (VMSB-331), working as an aerial gunner aboard a Douglas SBD Dauntless divebomber. Beginning in November of 1943, they were stationed at Nukufetau Airfield on Motulalo Island. They participated in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands Campaign. Watlov joined a detachment of their squadron at Tarawa, aiding in patrol operations. They remained in the Pacific and carried out air strikes against bypassed Japanese positions for the remainder of the war. They returned to the US in October of 1945 and he was discharged in November.
Oral History Interview with Thomas Ross, October 23, 2004
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Ross. Ross was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in September 1922. After graduating from high school he played football at the University of Wisconsin in 1940 and 1941. While in college, he participated in the Civilian Pilot Training Program. Enlisting in the Naval Aviation cadet program in 1942 he began pre-flight training at Iowa City, Iowa. He then went to the Glennville Naval Air Station in Illinois. While there he requested a transfer into the air arm of the US Marine Corps. Upon being accepted he went to Cherry Point, North Carolina where he was assigned to VMSB-331 to pilot SBD dive bombers. The squadron traveled to San Diego where they were put on the USS Nassau (CVE-16) for deployment to Nukufetau Airfield. He was a member of a detachment of the squadron that spent several months on Tarawa where they were subjected to nightly bombings by Japanese aircraft. During June 1944, while on a mission over Maloelap, Ross was forced to ditch due to flak damage. He and his crewman were picked up by a PBY. In July, the squadron converted to F4Us with experienced Corsair pilots brought in to provide a quick on-the-job training course. After flying twenty-five missions in the F4U, Ross returned to Cherry Point. He then joined VMSB-244 on Mindanao before moving to Okinawa where he was when Japan surrendered. Ross concludes the interview by telling of his experiences in China and Korea; during the Cuban Missile crisis; and in Vietnam. He retired after twenty-nine years of service.
Oral History Interview with James Atkinson, March 23, 2006
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James E. Atkinson. Atkinson was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1921. His younger brother was killed in Europe during the war. Atkinson attended Vanderbilt University with a football scholarship in 1940. In 1942 he joined the Navy Reserves and entered the V-12 Navy College Training Program. Soon afterwards, he entered Midshipman’s school at Notre Dame. Upon graduating 20 June 1944, he was commissioned an ensign. He then entered submarine school at New London, Connecticut. He describes the characteristics of a fleet submarine. After completing four months of school, he flew to Brisbane, Australia and reported aboard the USS Flasher (SS-249). Atkinson served during the boat’s fourth, fifth and sixth combat patrols. He describes sinking two Japanese destroyers and four tankers. On the sixth combat patrol, they sank two Japanese ships and returned to Pearl Harbor for overhaul in April 1945. Afterwards, the boat was at sea bound for Guam when the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. Returning to New London, Connecticut, the crew decommissioned the boat.
Oral History Interview with Harry Longerich, January 23, 2007
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harry Longerich. Longerich was born in Germany in 1917 and immigrated to the United States. He attended the Stanton Military Academy and was an amateur radio operator. After opening a successful radio service store with celebrity customers, he sold the business in 1938 and enlisted in the Army in anticipation of the war. He attended basic training and learned CW operation at Fort Monmouth. He was stationed on Hawaii during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Days later, Longerich overheard Admiral Kimmel lamenting the loss so many young men. Because of his fluency in German, he was chosen for several offensive and defensive counterintelligence operations with the Sixth Army, broadcasting false information to Germany leading to a diversion of Hitler’s divisions on the Eastern Front, and attaching an antenna to a balloon to eavesdrop in hard to reach locales. He was so adept with radio equipment that he was called upon to repair Patton’s personal radio, and he hand-delivered eyes-only communications to Eisenhower. He later joined the Army Security Agency as an electronic countermeasures specialist and R&D engineer. After attending Command and General Staff College, Longerich retired in 1963.
Oral History Interview with John Turner, March 23, 2007
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Turner. Turner joined the Navy in early 1942. He completed his flight training and received his commission in December of 1943. In March of 1944 he traveled to Pearl Harbor, where he joined the Grim Reapers of Fighting Squadron 10 (VF-10) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6). Turner served as a F6F pilot. They completed escort and strafing missions, and participated in the Marianas Turkey Shoot in June. He later joined Composite Squadron 10 (United States. Navy. Composite Squadron 10 (VC-10)) aboard the USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73), where they participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Turner was discharged in August of 1945.
Oral History Interview with Nila Jackson Alderson, April 23, 2007
Transcript of an oral interview with Nila Jackson Alderson. Born in 1925, Alderson describes life before and during the war in rural Texas as well as in the town of Burnet, Texas . Her husband, Joe Alderson, served in the military in Europe. They both discuss the mail service during the war. The interview includes information about her parents and siblings.
Oral History Interview with Edward Kozak, July 23, 2007
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Kozak. Kozak provides some details of his family’s history as professional musicians, including his experience on the piano, marimba, harp and drums. Kozak served as the head of the department in the Shreveport Symphony, and served as a music teacher at a number of schools, including Juilliard School of Music in New York. He joined the Navy in 1943. He graduated from the Washington D.C. School of Music and was assigned as a Coxswain on a Higgins boat. He served as a marimba soloist in a band that played for Admiral Chester Nimitz throughout the war.
Oral History Interview with J. D. Tanner, August 23, 2007
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with J.D. Tanner. Tanner was born 20 August 1924 in Jasper County, Indiana. He quit school in the seventh grade and worked with his father on a dairy farm. In August 1944, he was drafted into the US Army and had basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas. After four weeks of training he went to San Francisco and departed on a twenty-one day trip to Leyte. There he was assigned as a rifleman in the 37th Infantry Division. He describes being on patrol and seeing a friend killed by a Japanese sniper. He was hospitalized with dysentery and recalls meeting General MacArthur’s wife, Jean, as she visited the hospital. After the surrender of Japan, he was assigned to the Military Police for a period of time and also drove a truck. He returned to the United States and was discharged 1 August 1946.
Oral History Interview with Sam Palermo, September 23, 2007
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Sam Palermo. Palermo was born in 1924 in Melrose Park, Illinois. His parents came from Italy in 1902. He was drafted into the Navy in June 1943 and sent to Farragut, Idaho for boot training. Upon finishing, he went to Wahpeton, where he studied engineering at the North Dakota State College of Science for six months. In March 1944 he reported aboard the USS Dennis (DE-405) as a motor machinist in the engine room. The Dennis was part of Taffy 3 and participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf off Samar during which the ship was hit five times by Japanese gunfire. After the battle, the Dennis picked up 434 survivors from the USS St. Lo (CVE-63) and Palermo describes burials at sea of five shipmates and a casualty from the St. Lo. After dropping off the injured at Peleliu, the ship returned to Alameda for repairs. Returning to the Pacific, the Dennis provided support during the invasion of Iwo Jima. After twenty-seven days on station at Iwo Jima the ship went to Ulithi for provisions and to prepare for the next invasion. After participating in the invasion of Okinawa, Palermo returned to the United States. After returning to duty after a thirty-day leave, Palermo was assigned to the USS Dorothea L. Dix (AP-67), which participated in Operation Magic Carpet. Palermo returned to the United States and received his discharge 31 December 1945.
Oral History Interview with Alfonso Perez, October 23, 2007
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alfonso Perez. Perez was born in Maxwell, Texas 11 September 1923. After finishing the fourth grade he went to work in the agricultural fields as a laborer. In January 1942 he joined the Navy and entered boot camp at San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Midway/USS St. Lo (CVE-63) as a plane captain with VC-65. He recalls the ship taking part in the invasion of Saipan and Tinian and going to Eniwetok for replacements and provisions. On 25 October 1944 the St. Lo was involved in the Battle off Samar when the Japanese attacked as planes from the St. Lo were being launched for submarine patrol. Perez remembers the Japanese ships being so close he could see enemy sailors on deck as they passed. He recalls seeing a kamikaze diving toward his ship and crashing approximately thirty feet from where he was. Upon receiving orders to abandon ship he went overboard and remembers being taken aboard a raft. The survivors were picked up by the USS Dennis (DE-405) and he recalls the compassion shown by the crew. After being treated for superficial wounds he was put aboard a ship and taken to San Diego. Perez never went to sea again and soon after Japan surrendered, he was discharged.
Back to Top of Screen